All Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has ever wanted is a true family of her
own. And she's close to reuniting her parents when her father
disappears. Now Bertie must deal with a vengeful sea goddess and a
mysterious queen as she tries to keep her family - and the Theatre
Illuminata - from crumbling. To complicate it all, Bertie is torn
between her two loves, Ariel and Nate.
Growing
up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith
learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the players
and their parts, but she didn't know that she, too, had magic. Now, she
is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales. She is ready for the
outside world.
Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY
And it
is nothing like the one she has come to expect. Bertie can make things
happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre,
they don't go as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision
between -
Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate. Is now in mortal peril.
Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit. Loves Bertie enough to die for her.
When
Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Witch, only Bertie can
free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the
Thèâtre's locomotive caravan, using Bertie's word magic to guide them.
Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession
something most valuable, and meet a bird that might be Bertie's father -
and the maker of the magical Scrimshaw. Bertie's dreams are haunted by
Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime,
it's Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for.
Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to
save her once she enters the Sea Witch's lair?
Once again, LISA
MANTCHEV has spun a tale like no other - full of romance, magic,
adventure, and fairies, too - that readers won't want to put down, even
after the curtain has closed.
Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an
actress, yet she lives in a theater. She's not an orphan, but she has no
parents. She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own. That
is, until now.
Enter Stage Right
NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.
COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE'S sidekicks.
ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Berti's weakness. The symbol of impending doom.
BERTIE. Our heroine.
Welcome
to the Theatre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written
can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and
are bound to the Theatre by The Book - an ancient and magical tome of
scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family - and she is
about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.
Lisa
Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and
witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are
sure to enchant the audience.
